Tuesday Thing (Yes, Just 1), Covid Thoughts and The Watch

BIKSS bought me a watch. Well, he was surfing for watches (cos that's kinda his thing) and there was a buy one - free one promo. There was a ladies version of the watch he was keen on so he decided to get a pair for us. 

Only HIS came, and the one for me ended up being a different one. So they said he could send it back and they would exchange it for the correct one. I have to wait a little longer for mine.. but this is the one he has now. 

It's from TruWood, and the case is natural black sandalwood; leather straps. 

This is his hairy arm - 

I hope they sort out the exchange quickly. I quite like it and can't wait for mine to arrive. 

In other things, his car is in the workshop so we won't be going anywhere for a couple of days, not that there is anywhere to go. Dining in has been disallowed again. We keep yo-yo-ing back and forth. Le sigh. I hope that when we finally hit the target of 70% being fully vaccinated (next month, was the plan) we'll be able to open up and go on with life as usual again. 

Part of me is a bit irritated. Ok, a LOT irritated. That people will insist on doing stupid things and carrying on with pushing the boundaries. If we all just played by the rules for a little while, like PROPERLY STUCK TO THE RULES, then soon this whole thing can come under some control and we can carry on. 

Take the Olympics for example. Athletes' Village Bubble. HAH. Well that didn't work. The current number of cases connected to the games stands at more than 150, of which 19 are athletes. I really don't think inviting athletes from all over the world to gather in one place doing sometimes-strenuous sports together is a good idea. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, mum had her audiology follow-up appointment via video-call this afternoon cos they're trying to reduce unnecessary movement and limit the number of people going into the hospitals and medical centres. The audiologist had her mask on the whole time. I wondered why that was necessary, but then I realised some of her patients might have gone to see her in person and the room might not be ENTIRELY sterile, so for safety reasons all the hospital staff have to be masked up any time they're in the clinics. 

Yesterday as I was coming back from work there were 4 elderly men at the common sitting area on the ground floor, drinking from take-away cups, mask off, and chit chatting. Yes they were safely distanced - ish...  but the current rule is 2 to go out at any one time. 

I knew 2 of them cos they live in my building, so I politely suggested that they move to a different location where they could sit at 2 separate benches instead of all around the ONE table, then at least if the cops came by (yes, they patrol the neighbourhoods) they could plausibly say they were 2 separate groups of 2, and had just bumped into each other there. 

One of them was nice, he said, "Oh yes, thanks, that's a good idea." But one fella I didn't know said,  "Eh, what's the difference? It's still 4 of us, and we're sitting far apart now anyway." I said the difference is on two separate benches they can't slap you with a $300 fine each. There's no proof either way. But right now you're clearly 4 in a group and that's $1200 that the government is going to earn from you should the cops come round. 

Anyway, I said what I had to. And then I left. I didn't feel good about reporting them cos the 2 fellas I know *are* nice old men, and they're in their 70s.. and well, I just didn't want to get them into trouble. But grrrrr. 

I hope they dispersed soon after tho'. For THEIR sakes.

I find it so strange. That some areas of our lives now are SO restricted, with people who are super careful and super cautious and super mindful of others. And then there are crazy things like old men hanging out mask-off and the Olympics. 

Yes, the world can't stand still forever, I get that. But if we could all just PAUSE long enough for the vaccines to go round and the damned virus to stop mutating, then maybe we could finally ALL resume some semblance of normal living again. 

I mean, if you need to charge up your phone, you plug it in, and leave it alone. If you carry on using it, all that's going to do is slow the damned charging cycle down, AND you end up with a really hot phone in the process. 

Fine. End of Rant.

So anyway, here's your ONE Tuesday thing this week. And cos I'm being lazy, it's going to double up as my mood pic for today ~

Pretty Hot

My hat arrived. There's a piece of wire in the trim so that the rim will stay up. I wasn't expecting that, but it seems to work, so it's ok. Better than a floppy hat - I have two VERY bucket-y bucket hats already. 

Also, mum was complaining that she needs some new shift dresses, so I went shopping on Shein. We ended up getting 5 pieces, ranging from $4 to $8 each. Total - $28.

2 for me, and 3 for her. 

These be for me - 

And these be for mum - 

And yes, I said I wasn't going to buy stuff unnecessarily, but these are necessary. 

2 words - HOT FLUSHES. 

PLUS : The temperature is high. Humidity is high. And stupidity is high. But we knew that already. 

PLUS : Add mandatory mask-wearing to this bubbling cauldron of hot hot hot and you'll understand why I need those sleeveless tunics. 

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On the pillars lining the walkway that leads from my bus stop to my building I spotted these squares - they were put up quite recently - perhaps made by the kids in the school beside it. I think it's a lovely way to remind people that despite the sad state of affairs, one can still stay positive, share love, and continue to spread joy. There are tons of them, but here are a couple :

My mood pic today ~ 

Dentist Visit

I hate them. Dental visits. 

But it's been more than a year since I've been (I was kinda hoping for the Covid thing to be over before booking an appointment) and I found myself in a new clinic that opened up about half a year ago, next to that cheap haircut place.

My usual dental clinic has changed their policy, and I am a bit annoyed at them. You see, I have a government subsidy card for medical and dental visits. When I stopped in to ask about an appointment after getting my monthly massage, they told me that I can't tap on the subsidy if I visit on the weekends, and also that I would have to pay a cash top up of $25. Which I know isn't a lot, but it used to be free, innit? 

(I shall ring the relevant agency on Monday and ask if this is allowed - from what I know, the subsidy cards need to be honoured any time they're presented.)

I decided to pop into the new clinic and ask if I could use the subsidy card. Yes, she told me. No restrictions, no top-ups. I booked myself a slot at 4 cos that was their earliest available, and went home for lunch. 

At 3 they rang and told me that there was a cancellation so I could come in early if I wanted to. Yay! Off I went!

So the thing about scaling is that it's noisy. And the sounds are perhaps more unnerving than the actual procedure. After the dentist was done with the first section I asked if they (she and her assistant) minded listening to my podcast - cos I'd prefer to have a distraction, but didn't have my earphones with me. 

She said to go right ahead, and would be glad to listen along. I could tell she was amused by the podcast, and after the session she asked what it was that I was listening to. I showed her the title and she said she would definitely check it out. 

(BTW, if you're interested, it was SciShow Tangents. Imagine if I had been midway through a "My Dad Wrote a Porno" epiosde lol.)

And so it has come to be that my knots have been kneaded out, my teeth have been cleaned, and my new dentist has now got a podcast to check out.

My mood pic today ~ 

Boo Boo and the Beach

I hurt my finger getting the wheelchair open. Typing hasn't been as easy as it usually is. Today's post will be brief cos I'm using the "wrong" fingers to type. It feels weird, and I keep hitting the wrong keys. 

Yesterday I took the mum to a different beach from the one we went to the last time. This was a little farther away but near the airport so there were planes to be seen taking off and coming in . It was also less cumbersome getting there cos there are buses that go right up to the beach park. 

In light of all the travel restrictions, I suppose this is the only kind of beach getaway I'm getting for a while...

Here are some fotos - 

The planes are REALLY low

That speck is a fruit bat

It's dinner time and the afternoon revellers have gone home, leaving the park quiet for a bit. The post-dinner walkers will start appearing soon enough tho.

She was happy. I was happy. 

Another good day. 

My mood pic today ~ 

Many Tuesday Things and McMany McGriddle Things

It's a holiday here, as many places with a Muslim presence celebrate Hari Raya Haji. I had some McGriddles for brunch (of all the Macs offerings this is my ONE thing I will never say no to) and now I'm in a bit of a food coma.

It isn't available year round, they bring it back for a few weeks each time and I go crazy and spend too much money on them. But a friend sent me a video so I could make my own any time I wanted. It seems like way too much effort, cos I never want it THAT badly that I would make it... but here's one version if you want to see what the fuss is about.

Here's another - 

And it turns out... there are quite a number of make-your-own type videos on Youtube, including a low calorie high protein version! 

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RIGHT. Now that I've got THAT out of the way, here are today's Tuesday things! 

1. I think making McGriddles from scratch might be easier than making friends!

2. They might want to change the description on this shelf.

3. Dream came true for this fella!

4. Heh. Heh heh. 

5. Yes, Doug. We totally get it!

6. Dedicated to JZ, of course.

7. Poor kitty...

8. Not an investment strategy I would encourage.

9. My favourite one this week! 

10. It's all about the optics.

11. And finally, here's one for the summer! 

As always, let me know if you had a favourite! And what's YOUR favourite McDonald's menu item? 

Shocked and Surprised and Cheap Haircuts

A new hair place opened near me. A short walk from my home. They had an opening promo - $5 haircuts. 

Great, I thought. 

I went to get a quick trim. Just thin this mop and sort out that slope at the back, I said. I'm trying to grow out the front and sides. This is the goal - 

I was done in a jiffy. No fuss. No muss. When I went to pay at the counter the lady said I could get a package. Oh no, I thought. These things are meant to rob you blind. But wait. What she was offering was 7 cuts for $30. 

That's a little under $4.30 a cut. Almost 1/3 what I usually pay. So of course I said yes. Hurray for savings! 

AND it's transferable. So I told the brother if he ever wanted a haircut he could come get the card from me. Since he comes to visit the mum every fortnight anyway. 

What? I did what? 

Yes. I offered him the use of my hair cut card. 

Because he was (shockingly) nice enough to give me a third (we're a set of 3 siblings in total) of the cost of the wheelchair. Voluntarily. Like just grabbed his wallet out of his pocket and said, here, I'll give you some money for the wheelchair. Wow. 

I need to go buy a lottery ticket. Don't get me wrong. I'm not being snide or nothing. I'm just genuinely surprised. I won't go so far as to say he's turned over a new leaf, but maybe he's realised something - I don't know what - and it's making him more human. 

He also asked about his dog. And wanted advice. What? This is the fella who ALWAYS knows everything about everything, and anyone else's rules don't apply to him cos he (and anything connected to him) is ALWAYS the exception, in his view anyway. 

Well, so *THAT* was a good Sunday visit. 

Mum was also very well-behaved yesterday. No problems at all. Agreeable till she closed her eyes and went to bed. 

I wish days like this were the norm instead of the exception. Still, I'll take whatever happy days I get! 

My mood pic today ~ 

Dinner and Black Widow, Plus Covidiots

We went to a pretty random out of the way tiny mall and then realised the cinema wasn't there. So we walked over to the tiny building it was housed in about 10 mins away. Along the way my shoe died, but thankfully we were near a bunch of shops as we were walking through a marketplace. BIKSS organised a one-person slipper hunt, and bought a pair of flip flops for me, and we chucked the old shoes in the bin before carrying on our merry way!

After getting tickets for Black Widow (which was WAY better than F & F 9) we had dinner at a family run food-bowl shop. 

And saved $3 as they were a participating store on a cashback/voucher platform I use. 

I decided to prep some quinoa bowls today, only because I wanted more of the curry cauliflower that came with our Friday night bowl (I'd never had it done that way before and it was pretty delish!). 

There's quinoa on the bottom, topped with a small piece of fish, chicken breast, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and tempeh. 

In other news, there was a new cluster of Covid cases today that started at the central fish market. It has since spread to 11 different markets around the country and the government has announced that all fishmongers have to be tested. Of course by now they would have spread it to the other stall operators... so I'm just thinking, thank GOD I don't shop at markets. And mum doesn't either, now. 

I can't imagine what they'll do next. I imagine customers would have caught it too, by now. 

This came hot on the heels of a nightclub cluster. Last week a bunch of nightspots that had been operating as F&B establishments (since pubs and clubs and KTV places were no longer allowed to open) were found to have breached safe distancing measures, and hostesses who are here illegally have been in the limelight for being instrumental in spreading the disease. Aside from the usual Covid testing and quarantine orders, at least 29 people have been arrested and 10 deported as a result of this, with police working hard on what they're calling a "vice related crackdown".

I'm preparing for another tightening of measures. 

This evening at dinner with a couple of friends we saw a table of 6 fellas (the limit here is 5, currently) and one of them was clearly 'intermingling' - which is not allowed - as he chit-chatted with the bunch of 5 people at the next table.

I managed a photo and reported it to our municipal services office which has a handy app for all sorts of things, including blowing the whistle on people / places where safety measures have been breached. 

And that has been my exciting weekend so far. :)

My mood pic today ~

Silicone Mask Bracket

The most recent Covid19-related thing in my house is this : 

In humid climates like where-I-live our masks inevitably end up doing double duty as sweat-absorbers. Wet mask = very uncomfortable. My nose is also getting more and more irritated by the tiny fibers that rub off as the mask moves across the skin. So this thing has been quite a life saver. My boss recommended it, which signals to me that it doesn't interfere with the efficacy of mask-wearing as a tool to prevent transmission of the wretched virus. 

These silicone mask brackets are pretty awesome. I love them. Mum loves them. If you're keen, look online with the search term 'silicone mask bracket' and you'll probably find a few. Here's one I found on Amazon. I got ours from a local online site. They shouldn't be terribly expensive, a buck or two, usually. Sometimes, cheaper. I paid $4 for 8 pieces.

The one on the left seems to be more easily found, but it doesn't stay on the mask, is made of plastic, and tends to drop all over the place when trying to get the mask on or off. We had a couple previously and to be honest, I don't even know where they've gone.

The one of the right is the one I recommend. It's got loops that you can thread your mask earloops through so it'll stay in place. Added plus - the silicone tends to keep cool even in hot weather. Or at least is cool to the touch whenever I've just put it on. Enough to prevent me feeling like I'm suffocating each time I pull my mask on. 

Let me know if you already have a mask bracket/frame, or if you think this is something you might want to look closer at. I'm curious to know how all of you are coping with mask-wearing.

My mood pic today ~ 

What A Busy Week - Wheels and Deals

We're back on the original dose of Xanax. Cleared it with my boss. 

Mum has been sleeping at a decent hour the last couple of nights. Her diarrhoea has just about cleared up. 

One thing I notice in her that wasn't present in dad's dementia, is that come 6pm she starts talking funny and then by the next day she'll have forgotten what transpired the night before. 

It's as if she turns into a different person. It makes me think of a computer drive hitting its limit, so no new information can be saved, altho you can still make edits to the file. So while her basic processes are functioning, there is very little being 'saved' in her memory. And when she goes to bed, the events of the last 3-4 hours of the day are all but lost. Which, in a way, is good cos that means she won't remember the bad nasty stuff like my insisting she finish her dinner or take her meds. LOL

We went to get new wheels for her yesterday. Took her to the showroom/sales office, so she could try it out. 

The wheelchair we have is pretty old, and the wheels are large and heavy. It doesn't fold up as neatly as I'd like which makes it tough to get it in and out of car boots. The new one has smaller wheels, is about 20% lighter, and takes up a lot less real estate when it's folded. 

(Pic taken off their website)

(That's it folded up narrow, in front of my shoe cabinet. I didn't fold the backrest down, but it is collapsible.)

The best part of this new one is that the wheels aren't crazy huge. Unlike the old one, they don't get in the way when we lift it by the armrests to haul it into the back of a car. I also like that the footrests fold up to the side and inwards so that it's tucked away. I can't tell you HOW many times I've hit my shins on the old ones walking by it. 

Today I had to stop at the mall to pick up stuff, and since I was going to be there, I thought I may as well get everything I needed. 2 hours later I was down a hundred bucks.

I decided to go back to Bounce dryer sheets, cos they're a lot more convenient to carry home than liters and liters of fabric conditioner. This way I won't have to bother about it for at least 3 months. Someone gave mum a couple of sachets of some cereal drink thing to try, and she had it for breakfast this morning. Her caregiver said she really liked it, finished the whole cup - so I picked up a pack from the supermarket. And a pack of soy-oats thing for myself (two packs for the price of 1!). 

Hmmmm what else... oh chips - from the discount shelf! And dark chocolate - plus freebies - for granola bars (mainly for BIKSS), and coffee for me. I got a family size pack of assorted nuts, as that was more economical than getting a smaller packet. And finally, the thing I went there to get in the first place - Milo. LOL. 

Then I headed to Daiso and stocked up on hand warmers - you know those things that you break out of the plastic wrap and it starts to heat up after 5-10 minutes? I'm not sure how it works... something about coming into contact with oxygen activates some chemical inside maybe. Hang on, let me check this out for you. 

.... OK HERE IT IS.

Disposable chemical pads employ a one-time exothermic chemical reaction. One type, frequently used for hand warmers, is triggered by unwrapping an air-tight packet containing slightly moist iron powder and salt or catalysts which rusts over a period of hours after being exposed to oxygen in the air. Another type contains separate compartments within the pad; when the user squeezes the pad, a barrier ruptures and the compartments mix, producing heat such as the enthalpy change of solution of calcium chloride dissolving.

And now we know.  Well, mum gets cold easily so this is really good for her to hang on to, especially as she settles into bed in the evenings. We put a pad in an old tubular socky thing - I think it's meant to be a sleeve of some sort for some pain or other, to be worn on some part of the body or other. For some reason we have a huge collection of knee guards, elbow guards, and other bits of elastic tubular sleeves and guards. 

They come in different sizes, and in two versions - with or without a sticker backing.

THAT was a tiring day. 

I should be having dinner with BIKSS tomorrow night, so I'm glad for that. 

But now, I shall off to bed. 

My mood pic today ~ 

Things I've Learnt Recently

1. Some people get diarrhoea when they take melatonin. We're back to giving mum a benzo, 1/4 of a tablet, as that seems to work better for her. 

2. A fruit eating animal is known as a frugivore. (Thanks to Scishow Tangents, I now know a lot more stuff about a lot more stuff.)

3. I am a pollo-pescetarian, or a pesce-pollatarian. (A friend asked me what I considered myself. Semi-vegetarian? Pescetarian? "But you eat chicken," she said. So I looked it up.) 

4. The cutest fracture name ever is a fracture in the wrist - it's sometimes called the Pooping Duck Sign. One poor sod came in with a pain in his wrist. We sent him off for an X-Ray and ta-da! 

5. I wear hats more often than anyone I know... 

And despite saying I wasn't going to spend money on things I don't need, I caved and ordered a hat.

It was $6.75. But I got it for $4.88. PLUS free shipping. The weave of the fabric looks interesting, but the absence of a noticeable seam where the crown meets the brim is really the thing that drew me to it. 

This next one was a close contender as well, but BIKSS prefers the first one, and I thought it might also be a bit too dressy for food rescue missions - which is when I usually reach for a hat.

I  do like it quite a lot though - the shape of it, that is. The belt detail, not so much. 

Maybe next time, if I ever come across one that DOESN'T have a belt on it. :) 

My mood pic today ~ 

I've Often Thought (Trigger Warning)

Possible triggers - do not read on if the topics of death / dementia upset you (at this point, or ever).

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Have you ever heard of Terminal Lucidity? 

It's the middle of the night and I've been binge watching Downton. 

And all that death got me thinking. (I suppose I am my mother's daughter after all.)

I've heard of this phenomenon of a person rallying before death. Although that's not as popular here as the phrase "buang tebiat", which is Malay, but I'm not sure if they use it the way we Peranakans do. 

You see, we often say that when a person is about to depart this world they will buang tebiat, which kinda sorta means to go crazy, throw a tantrum, or generally be most difficult just for disagreeability's sake, depending on who you ask. 

And it has often been said that they do this so those they leave behind will be glad to see them go after all the trouble they've caused, thereby lessening the grief ... or some such thing. 

I've often just thought the thing that did that was Dementia. 

Dementia helps you say goodbye, a little bit at a time, to the person that they once were, as you watch them slowly turn into something they're not. 

The living with it part sucks big time. But it really does make the death-proper a little easier to bear in the end. 

My mood pic today ~ 

Fake and Floundering 9 More Like

*Warning - Fast & Furious 9 spoilers ahead*

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I went out to the keto bakery to collect some tuna and sardine puffs I had ordered for BIKSS. I've been enjoying them so I wanted him to try some. 

Then we were off to the movies. We've both been a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise, and I have watched every single instalment in the cinema - car crashes and explosions just aren't the same on a small tv screen. 

We bought tickets then grabbed a quick bite at Carls Jr. 

The movie DATE was awesome, it's been some time since we went to the movies. The movie itself was hilarious.

After the last instalment BIKSS had lost faith in the franchise because of the handling of the submarine storyline. 

This time it was my turn. 

1) That's NOT how magnets work 

2) A car in space? 

3) Floating about and waving at the peeps inside the space station? Really?

4) Why wouldn't they just kill off Brian O'Conner, it's not like he can ever come back? And ok, if they didn't want to, then use a body double and a back view or SOMETHING, like when he supposedly rolled up for the BBQ at the end... tsk. 

5) That is NOT how magnets work. I say it again. 

I found myself yelling in my brain many times this evening, "No, just NO!" 

But then, I suppose even the temporary suspension of logic and the laws of physics has its limits. This was mine. 

Does this mean we're not going to watch the next one? 

Hell no! LOL. I'm still gonna want to cosy up with BIKSS in the cinema with our box of mixed popcorn and enjoy all the fake crashes and floundering plotlines. 

It IS just a movie after all. 

(PS Charlize Theron is still gorgeous, and Helen Mirren is still cool as shit!)

My mood pic today ~ (it's 168 days to Christmas...)

Finally! Tuesday Things on a Tuesday! And Xanax

I gave the mother a tiny teeny dose of alprazolam last night. The doctor said it might help her sleep as her lying awake in bed till 5 in the morning was causing her (and us) a whole lot of grief. The longer she stays awake, the more she imagines things and the more she believes the stories she's made up, the more awake she remains. 

Rinse and repeat. 

Last night she popped her PM meds and went to bed. In less than an hour she was snoring. And she slept a good 11 hours till this morning. 

We were afraid that she *might* be zoned out as some people don't 'recover' very well after such medications, but it turns out she was cheery, well rested, and HUNGRY! She ate breakfast AND lunch. And was in pretty decent spirits. 

It won't be a long term plan, just for a couple of days till my melatonin gets here. I know some people who experience great success with it, as well as some others for whom it does nothing. We'll try it on the mother and see how it affects her. I would much prefer that to a benzo so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

And now - enjoy! 

1. LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know what you saw first!

2. An ad on a game I'm playing. I swear. Brainded?

3.Courtesy of BIKSS. EVOO or CSO2?

4. I have to admit, I really giggled at this one!

5. A multi-orgasm with every screen touch guys! REALLY!

6. I'd not seen this before. I thought it was quite clever!

7. And this one is my favourite this week!

As always, please leave a comment to let me know if you had a favourite - and DO DO let us know what your first reading of number 1 was! 

Bake Fest and Other Random Bits

I found some cake mix yesterday. So I made some cakes. 

Sponge with icing sugar and honey

Chocolate with brandied butter sauce thingie smeared over top

This is BIKSS wearing his new blue shoes

And now, the history of smallpox. And the story of vaccination.

Let me backtrack a little. Mum kept asking about the Covid jab - Why are they talking about vaccinations but not giving it to us? she asked. Um, we had two injections remember? 

But vaccination involves a cut, she says. Er, wait. What?

So I realised after a while that she was referring to the smallpox vaccination of ye olde days. Where they would make a tiny scratch/cut in the skin and drop the inoculant in, getting it in the blood stream that way. 

I went searching on the web and was pretty fascinated by the cowpox/smallpox story.  And now you can read about it too. 

Also, this is a link BIKSS sent me. I don't know if you've seen / tried these washbum things. But we actually have them in the hospital loos here! Not that I use it. Feels a bit gross to be sharing bum washers with random strangers. LOL. What are your thoughts? 

My mood pic today (is a trailer) ~